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Bebop Spoken There

Wayne Escoffery: "My philosophy is keeping one foot in the past and one foot in the future" - DownBeatMarch 2018.

Scott Bradlee: “When audiences hear it [Sweet Child O’ Mine] there’s a lightbulb moment when they recognise the song’s hook, even though it’s in a different context. They’re so used to hearing it one way that it causes some cognitive dissonance. If it’s a song they’ve disparaged in the past and they now find themselves liking it, that’s really interesting to me” – DownBeat March 2018.

To the best of our knowledge, details of the above events are correct but may be subject to alteration.

Monday, February 10, 2014

Second Ending by Evan Hunter

I love music and I love books - I love other things too but we won't go into that!

There are books, just as there are records, that you wouldn't part with yet may never read or play again. There are also books (and records) that you are compelled to come back to time and time again.

Second Ending by Evan Hunter is just such a book. Hunter also wrote The Blackboard Jungle and the Ed McBain 87th Precinct stories but Second Ending is the one I always come back to.

I first read it back in the 1950's and was immediately hooked - perhaps not the word to use in the context of the story!

It describes a bunch of young college kids/musicians in the late 1930s getting together to form a band that rehearses weekly hoping to get a few gigs. The personalities become exposed with the arrival of a 15 year old trumpet player with more talent than his older contemporaries.

The band gets gigs in youth clubs and meets girls. The trumpet player goes on to greater things. WWII arrives and the trumpet player gets hooked on heroin and, some years later, he meets up again with the pianist who is studying for an exam whilst the trumpet player stays in the pianist's apartment trying to go cold turkey.

It's a book full of mixed emotions, love and potential tragedy between a group of people trying to cope with the trumpet playing genius' attempts to straighten up for an audition and their own conflicting emotions.

There's also the music theme that moves through dance bands, big bands and bebop.

I read it maybe once every 5 or 10 years and it still feels like the first time.

My favourite quote: He wet his lips and Bud noticed for the first time the pink, almost white ring of muscle smack in the centre of his upper lip, the coat of arms of the trumpet player...

Lance.

PS: Do you have a favourite novel with some jazz either as a theme or casual reference?

Submissions for review

Whilst we appreciate the many emails, texts, messages and other communications we receive requesting album/gig reviews on BSH, regrettably, we are unable to reply to them all other than those we are able to answer with a positive response.

Similarly, CDs received by post will only be considered if accompanied by sufficient background material.

Finally, bear in mind that this is a jazz-based site when submitting your album.

Lance

About this blog - contact details.

Bebop Spoken Here -- Here, being the north-east of England -- centred in the blues heartland of Newcastle and reaching down to the Tees Delta and looking upwards to the Land of the Kilt.Not a very original title, I know; not even an accurate one as my taste, whilst centred around the music of Bird and Diz, extends in many directions and I listen to everything from King Oliver to Chick Corea and beyond. Not forgetting the Great American Songbook the contents of which has provided the inspiration for much great jazz and quality popular singing for round about a century.The idea of this blog is for you to share your thoughts and pass on your comments on discs, gigs, jazz - music in general. If you've been to a gig/concert or heard a CD that knocked you sideways please share your views with us. Tell us about your favourites, your memories, your dislikes.Lance (Who wishes it to be known that he is not responsible for postings other than his own and that he's not always responsible for them.)